Good morning and happy rainy Saturday. Well, we have made it to July. Half of 2022 is now over. I hope that you have made the best of it so far. If you committed to reading through the Bible this year, and you are still stuck in Leviticus, you are going to have to pick up the pace. Besides, where else can you read about the fleshy lobe of the liver, boils, and putting blood on the big toe of your right foot?
Recently I had the privilege of going on another mission trip to Empalme, Mexico. It is a place that I dearly love, and the people of the church are incredible. It was so good to see old friends, to meet some new ones, and to serve together. Even though these trips are relatively short, it is amazing how quickly you build relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ. It is something that I would recommend doing at least once in your life. Who knows, you might just want to go back again and again.
While we were there, I had a chance to see an old friend, one that I have served with many years. In this case, it is not a person, it is Van Verde, the old green van. Michelle and I bought that van almost a decade ago to haul our family around on vacations and for us in ministry. After searching Craigslist for a long time, I finally spotted this beauty for sale in Branson. So, Michelle and I went down there and bought it for like $ 2500. It is a 15 passenger one ton Ford van. It is a beast of a machine that can haul virtually any trailer you hook to it. My kids enjoyed taking it on family vacations since they could all have their own rows. We drove that thing all the way to Washington D.C. and to the Wisconsin Dells. Of course, gas was only a couple of bucks back then so the fact that it only got up to 15 miles per gallon wasn’t such a big deal. One thing they did ask is that I never pick them up from school in it.
The primary reason we bought the van was for the ministry. We used it to haul a lot of people to and from church and various ministry activities. It was utilized on several church renovation projects. We used it to haul the trailers for numerous block parties and to move a lot of people. Countless stories could be told of the people that rode in those seats. It would be impossible to quantify how many people were able to hear the Gospel, to be taught the Word of God, to be impacted in some way, all because we were able to get them there with the van. It would have been difficult to do Fellowship International without that workhorse. When we started Community Impact Church five years ago, the church was able to donate the van to the church in Empalme. It is now living my dream of serving in Mexico. To this day, it is still doing the same work it did here in KC. It hauls people to and from church and the various outreach activities. It hauls trailers and supplies. It hauls materials for projects. It hauled our mission team around recently.
All of this made me think about us. If we look back over the last decade, are we as consistent in ministry as that old Ford van? Van Verde was designed and manufactured to haul things. It is good at hauling people, trailers, and supplies. It will never compete in the Indy 500 or fly to the moon. It wasn’t made to do either. But what about you? What is it that you were created to do? Know this – you were not designed by some engineer at the Ford Motor Company nor were you put together at an assembly plant. No, you were designed and created by God Himself. You are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” You bear the image of God Himself. And you were created by Him as a unique person to love and serve Him. You are made by Him and for Him. Each Christian is given spiritual gifts so that you can fulfill a role within the body of Christ. Together, we make up a beautiful mosaic of people that fit together to accomplish God’s plan and purpose. Individually, we also have various talents and abilities. God gives those to us so that we might use them for His glory and honor. The question becomes, “Are we actually doing that?” Do we view our lives as a means to glorify God, to advance His Gospel, or serve ourselves and advance our own agenda? Maybe we can learn a lesson from Van Verde, figure out what you were made to do and then be consistent in doing that over the long term. If we do, we will be able to look back some day and recount the ways that God used us for His glory.
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
27 Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ. (Philippians 1:27)
From our neighborhoods to the nations,
Pastor Larry
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